The Family Way
by teddyshoney
Summary: Kurt and Blaine have been married for two years. Blaine is in his last year of college. Suddenly, he decides he's ready to start a family, but Kurt's just not sure. I wrote this story for the 2018 Klaine Fic Exchange. I have been very bad about updating my FF, but my AO3 is up to date on everything! I will try to play catch up here!


Prompt: Two years after they got married, Kurt and Blaine start talking about kids and adopting/surrogate seriously before finally accepting Rachel's offer.

After the hype following Brittney and Santana's OTP hats, and the obligatory songs that each couple sang, the party slowed down a little bit. Their wedding reception was still bumping, though, as everyone celebrated the official joining of two of the Glee Club's favorite couples.

Kurt and Blaine sat on the dance floor sidelines, watching the festivities and murmuring back and forth to one another. They'd danced together and with their parents until they were both exhausted, so now they were just enjoying watching everyone else have a good time and basking in the other's presence. Their conversation was peppered with tiny, gentle kisses, some to the mouth and some to the cheeks as the two reveled in the moment of actually being married. The reality had slowly sunk in as the evening progressed, and both boys were feeling especially emotional now.

They watched as Brittney and Mike led the group in a line dance, then giggled as the music changed pace and everyone broke off into pairs for the slow dance. After a minute of watching, Blaine turned to Kurt, his beautiful hazel eyes betraying the intensity of his desire. "Wanna get out of here?" he asked, voice soft and husky.

Before Kurt could answer, however, they both felt a hand on their shoulder followed by an excited squeal. "Eeeeep! Kurt! You finally did it!"

Kurt sighed, a small smile on his face. "Hey, Rachel."

"I'm soooooo happy for you guys!" came the screechy response. "Sooooooo happy." Rachel grabbed a chair and jerkily turned it to face her two friends before heavily sitting in it and smiling widely at the two of them. Her eyes were half shut, and her hair was a mess. Suddenly, she burped loudly, then began giggling uncontrollably.

"Rachel, you're drunk," Kurt said, leaning forward to swipe a bit of wayward hair from her face. "Why aren't you with Sam?"

"He's 'talking' to Mercedes," Rachel slurred, bringing her hands up to her ears to make air quotes. "You guys are the best!" she quipped. She leaned heavily against Kurt. "You guys should have kids riiiiiiiiight away. Like tomorrow."

It was Blaine's turn to laugh. "I don't think we're ready for kids just yet. Maybe someday," he said, bringing his gaze up to meet Kurt's. "Maybe someday we'll adopt. We want a family, but not yet." He smiled widely at Kurt, giving him a wink when Kurt's gaze caught his.

Kurt nodded. "You should go back to Sam," he said. He pushed gently at Rachel's shoulder to get her to sit up.

"But wait! You guys, you should have your OWN kids, like Kurt-n-Blaine kids. You know, that you make!"

"Rachel, that usually requires a girl. Neither of us is a girl."

"But, Iiiiiiiii'm a girl."

"Yes, you are."

"So, I'll do it for you!"

"Do what?"

"Have your kids! Kay? Just tell me when you want them, and I'll make 'em." she said, swaying a bit as she got to her feet. "I'll make 'em." That came out a bit quieter, almost to herself. Then, "'m gonna find Sam. I need another drink!" And with that, she sauntered off, leaving Kurt and Blaine looking at one another, confused.

"Did she just offer to be our surrogate?" Blaine asked.

"I—I guess so?" Kurt looked after her as she headed toward the drink coolers. "That girl is a crazy drunk. I guess I should just be thankful she didn't come over here and start kissing you." Kurt chuckled as he turned back to Blaine, catching the momentary wounded expression that flitted across Blaine's face. "Don't worry. You're mine now, Mr. Anderson-Hummel."

Blaine reached forward and pulled Kurt's chair closer to his own, until their faces were only inches apart. "The only person I'm going to be kissing," Blaine said, hot breath ghosting against Kurt's slightly parted lips, "is you." Then their lips met in a passionate kiss, lips only at first, sweet yet burning. Then, Blaine's hand sneaked up to hold onto Kurt's cheek, and Kurt's hand reached for Blaine's hips; the heat between them intensified, and their tongues began to dance together, exploring one another once again.

Blaine finally leaned back a bit, taking a second to catch his breath before asking, lips still brushing lightly against Kurt's as he spoke, "Do you want to get out of here?" His voice was deep, and Kurt's already rapid breathing caught in his throat as desire for his husband spread through his being, settling into the pit of his stomach and curling there.

Kurt nodded quickly, eyes never leaving Blaine's as he stood, offering Kurt his hand. Kurt took it, rising from his chair. Slowly, he leaned in 'til his face was so near Blaine's ear that he thought he could feel Kurt's lips upon it. "I can't wait to rip those clothes off of you when we get to the hotel. Your bowtie will make excellent handcuffs." Kurt let his teeth graze Blaine's ear lobe just for a moment, and he shivered.

"Then we'd better get going," he replied, winking as he firmly grasped Kurt's hand. They wound their way through the crowd, telling a few people good-bye before escaping to the small black rental car Sue had left for them.

Blaine wasted no time in throwing the car into drive and pulling onto the road, but not before giving Kurt another dirty kiss. "I love you so much," he breathed as he turned his attention to driving.

"Yeah. Love you, too. And the sooner you get us to the hotel, the faster you'll find out just how much."

With that, Blaine sped off down the highway as both boys thrummed in eager anticipation of their wedding night activities, Rachel's drunken offer long forgotten.

Her offer didn't come up again, in fact, for nearly two years. Kurt and Blaine spent the first part of their marriage focusing on their careers. They both needed to finish school and find jobs. With that load on top of just learning what it meant to be married, neither of them had too much time to think about having a family. They were enjoying each other's company; they didn't need anyone else.

Blaine was in his final year of college, working on his bachelor's degree in elementary education. Though he'd shadowed an experienced teacher the semester before, this time was a little bit different. This new teacher was making him want to pursue a career he'd never considered before, which was a bit of a problem. His worry all melted away though, the first time he saw the cutest, most perfect little kindergartner he'd ever laid eyes on. She had shoulder length brown hair that fell in waves all over her head. Her eyes were a gorgeous blue-green that shown brightly whenever she said or did anything. She was not shy about singing out loudly and emphatically. She absolutely lit up whatever room she entered, and, in Blaine's eyes, she was the perfect mix of he and Kurt.

Blaine knew, of course, that no child could ever actually be a mix of himself and his husband, biologically speaking. However, that didn't stop him from daydreaming constantly about what a perfect little family he and Kurt could have.

He wanted a big family, Blaine decided. He and Kurt had always talked about having two kids. A girl and a boy. Hepburn and Tracy. But Blaine wanted more than that. Like four, maybe. Or seven. Maybe ten! Maybe he and Kurt could have so many kids that they got a reality TV show that would pay them to live their lives with their big family. The possibilities were endless, and the more Blaine thought about it, the more excited he got.

So, like any grand idea that Blaine came up with, he had to come up with the perfect way to present it to Kurt. He needed to plan the best I-Want-To-Start-A-Family-With-You proposal that would leave Kurt weak in his knees and willing to say yes to anything Blaine asked for.

So, after some careful contemplating and planning, he began to pull together the perfect grand, romantic gesture. He started by sending a vase of twelve red roses to Kurt at , where Kurt was currently working while waiting for his big Broadway break. Each rose represented one thing that Blaine loved about Kurt, written out in detail, in the card attached to the vase.

"Oh my! What are these for?" Kurt exclaimed when he'd arrived back at his desk after a particularly gruesome meeting. Some people had absolutely no taste for fashion. Kurt pulled the attached card from its envelope and sank into his desk chair as he read. A few of the things that Blaine had written made Kurt giggle, a few made him smile lovingly, and more than one made him blush, a ripple of desire coursing through his body.

Kurt could hardly wait to get home that evening, and when he did, nearly thirty minutes late, he was not disappointed. Rose petals paved a softly scented path to their bedroom, which was lit only by the dozen candles scattered throughout the room. There was no sign of his husband, but Kurt found his soft robe and his favorite bath bomb in a neat pile on the bed accompanied by a note instructing him to take a nice soak and then come to the kitchen. Kurt still wasn't sure what all this was about; Blaine was good at planning romantic evenings for them, but they usually weren't this detailed unless it was a special occasion. It wasn't their anniversary or Kurt's birthday, so Kurt had no idea what could have prompted this.

Nevertheless, minutes after settling into their deep soaking tub, Kurt decided that, somehow, it didn't really matter right then. A relaxing bath was exactly what he needed, and, somehow, Blaine had known.

Kurt took his time with the bath, waiting until his fingers and toes had turned wrinkly to climb from the tub. When he entered the kitchen, wrapped tightly in his favorite robe, he saw Blaine pouring two glasses of red wine, an immaculately laid and candle-lit table behind him.

"What's all this for?" Kurt asked, coming up to give Blaine a quick kiss.

"Did you get my roses?" Blaine deflected.

"Yes. I left the vase at work to decorate my desk, but the card came home with me. For safe keeping. Misty's a good secretary, but she likes to snoop." He gave Blaine a lopsided grin. Then he was being ushered to his seat at the table, his chair already pulled out for him.

Blaine waited for him to take his seat before he gently pushed his chair toward the table. "Good. I'm glad you liked them," he responded, returning to the kitchen to gather two steaming plates of food. "I made your favorite," he said, sliding one plate down in front of Kurt and depositing the other at his own spot.

Kurt's favorite food was actually quite simple, Blaine had been surprised to learn, given his husband's usually expensive tastes in nearly everything else. While he might enjoy a nice meal at a fancy French restaurant or a healthy serving of fresh sushi, Kurt's secret love was spaghetti, topped with his mother's creamy cheese-and-tomato sauce, one meatball, and a little Parmesan cheese. He'd told Blaine it was one thing that brought back fond memories of birthday dinners with his family when he was young, and Blaine had resolved never to forget that, even though, at the time, he hadn't realized he'd be able to use that information to his advantage.

Kurt bent over his plate and gave an appreciative sniff, letting the warm scent tease his nostrils. Then he sat back and began to swirl a bite onto his fork. "This looks great! Thank you. But really, Blaine, what's all this for?"

Blaine sighed. He'd put it off long enough. Kurt was as buttered up as he was going to get for now. And it wasn't that he didn't want to tell Kurt, after all. Of course he did. He just knew Kurt wasn't overly fond of surprise important conversations, and he was nervous that Kurt would have a bad reaction to his proposal before he'd even had time to explain himself.

Blaine swirled a bite of spaghetti onto his fork before answering. "If I'm being honest," he said finally, finding he didn't have the courage yet to come right out and say what he wanted to say, "I'm a little bit nervous to tell you." He put his bite into his mouth, chewing slowly.

Kurt looked up from his plate, worry etched across his face. "Why? Did something happen? Is everything—everyone—okay?" he rushed.

"Shh. Everything and EVERYONE is okay," he reassured, kicking himself a bit for starting the conversation in that matter. Getting Kurt riled up over nothing wasn't going to help him. "It's just, I...I want to have a family with you," he finished. His voice dropped to barely more than a whisper at the end.

Kurt swallowed heavily. This was not at all what he'd expected they'd talk about this evening. Blaine didn't typically spring important conversations on him; he knew how much he hate getting into a heavy discussion without some preparation. So, he answered with what seemed like a safe reply. "And we will. I want that, too, Blaine. We've talked about it. We just need to get you through school and find me something a little more full time." Kurt kept his voice quiet but sure as he replied, watching Blaine, trying to figure out what had caused him to bring that up and in that way.

"But that's the problem, Kurt," Blaine said, laying his fork down and reaching for his wine glass. "I don't want to wait. I want to start now." Blaine took several sips from his glass as he watched the expressions flit across his husband's face.

"Blaine, I—I just—I'm not...not sure I'm ready for that. I'm not sure we're ready for that." Kurt sputtered a bit, reaching for his wine. He took three long swallows to relax his nerves a little before continuing. "What brought this on?"

"Well," Blaine began as he picked at the pasta on his plate, "there's a little girl at the school I'm shadowing at. She looks like she could be a mix of the two of us, Kurt! She's perfect! She's got my hair and your eyes, a voice to kill for, and confidence that just radiates from her. She's absolutely perfect!" Blaine repeated, pausing to catch his breath and bring his focus back to Kurt.

Kurt looked as though he wanted to say something, his mouth beginning to form a word, but Blaine held up a hand. His eyes pleaded that Kurt let him continue, so he closed his mouth again and watched his husband.

Blaine continued, "And...and even though I know it isn't possible to have a kid that's a mix of you and me, I still want to have kids with you. I'm ready. I want to be a father. And I know you'd be a great father, too. I just love you so much." Even though he knew it was a lame ending, Blaine stopped there, pausing for just a moment before reaching across their table to take one of Kurt's hands into his own and squeezing it, causing Kurt's eyes, which had previously been studying the tablecloth, to rise and meet his own. "You'll be a great father, Kurt. I have every confidence in that. And, I know it isn't what we've always talked about, but now's the time; I can feel it. They say you're never really ready for a child when it comes, but they always come at the perfect time. I don't want to wait anymore. I want to start our family." Blaine felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders as he looked into his husband's eyes, his feelings finally laid out in the open.

Kurt didn't know what to say. There were few things in life that Blaine felt so strongly about that he refused to give up on. Marrying Kurt had been one. Apparently starting a family was another. Anything that got Blaine to give an impassioned speech was something very important to him; Kurt couldn't break his heart. But, was he ready for this? Babies required a lot of time and money. Plus, for a couple in their position, it wasn't as though they could really start "trying" and let it happen naturally. No matter how they went about it, "trying," for them, would be expensive and risky. Kurt studied his husband. The longer he was silent, the more the exuberance slipped from Blaine's face, falling slowly into apprehension at Kurt's silence. What should he say? He needed to say something and now. "Blaine, I don't know..." he hedged. "Babies themselves are so expensive and-"

Blaine cut him off. "We have money in savings," he rushed, as though speaking faster would make Kurt agree with him. "We can use a bit of that, but with as crafty and thrifty as you are, I'm sure we won't have to spend too much." He was pleading now, unable to keep a bit of a whine out of his voice.

Kurt smiled softly at the compliment and continued. "But, it's not just the cost after the baby comes. It's the cost beforehand that scares me most. Adoption costs thousands of dollars and takes a long time to happen in some cases. That's our most viable option, though we could find someone to surrogate for us. But the interview process can take a while, and fertilization is expensive as well." Kurt couldn't bring himself to say more. He felt like he'd crushed Blaine enough already.

"I know that," Blaine cut in. "But, I think that's all the more reason to start now. I don't want to be an old man before we have our first child, and I know that it can sometimes take a while to get what you want. I think if we start now, it could still be a few years before we actually have a child of our own." Blaine knew that he was pleading now, but he couldn't help it.

"I want to start a family with you, Blaine," Kurt replied. "Believe me that I do. I know you'll be a great father, and I love you so much. I want nothing more than to have a family with you, children to teach about theater and singing and dancing and reading. I've thought about it a lot, daydreamed about it. But, I'm just not sure that right now is the time. I don't think we're ready to start trying yet. Even if it is a few years down the road, we don't have much money saved now, and it's hard to save much right now since my hours are rather sporadic and you don't have a job yet."

A flash of hurt crossed Blaine's face, but he brushed it away with a shake of his head. "You're right," he agreed. Normally, he'd debate more with Kurt, especially with something like this that he felt so strongly about. But he truly didn't want to argue with his husband over this. When they decided to start a family, he wanted it to be a moment of joy, not something that felt forced. If the two of them weren't on the same page yet, it wasn't the right time to have a child. "You're right," he repeated. "We aren't ready."

"Blaine, are you okay?" Kurt asked softly.

"Yeah. I'm okay." Blaine gave Kurt's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I understand."

"Are you sure?"

Blaine nodded, making eye contact. "Yeah. Let's just enjoy our dinner and a nice evening together. Want to watch a movie tonight?" he asked as he scooped up another bite of spaghetti.

"Sure; that sounds nice."

"I've been in the mood for _The Sound of Music_ recently."

"Okay. Um, yeah. That sounds good."

Blaine made eye contact with Kurt, his eyes boring into Kurt's, forcing Kurt to hold his gaze. "I'm fine, Kurt. Really."

Kurt nodded. "Okay. I believe you."

The table fell into a relative silence, then. Blaine began to mull over what he could do to save them some extra money in the months to come so Kurt would feel more confident. He resolved to make himself a budget once he started teaching in the fall. There could certainly be no negative outcomes from putting away a bit of extra money. He also made a mental note to tell Kurt his final plan for what he'd like to teach. He'd wanted to share that tonight, too, but it no longer felt like the right time.

Kurt came away from their conversation with several thoughts of his own. The first of which was that Blaine was certainly _not_ as okay with how their conversation had gone as he'd tried to make it seem. It was evident just by watching him. Whenever they watched The Sound of Music, he and Blaine would sing along at the top of their lungs, repeating the lines right along with the characters. But tonight, Blaine just leaned his head against Kurt's chest and murmured the lyrics to himself. No amount of tempting him to sing could actually get him to do it, though. After they went to bed that night, Blaine asked to be the little spoon, something he never did unless he was feeling vulnerable.

Kurt complied with his request, but he couldn't shut his brain down enough to sleep. One half of his mind was concerned that he'd just crushed his husband and his happy-go-lucky take on life. The other half began to wonder if they _were_ ready for this. Could they have and raise a child? Could they afford it? Kurt realized then that he wasn't sure that he should have turned Blaine down so quickly, a thought that scared him just a little.

Finally, around two in the morning, Kurt's brain quieted enough for him to drift off, but he wasn't done with the subject. His subconscious launched him into a dream. Blaine was sitting on the couch holding something in his arms. As Kurt approached, he could see that Blaine was holding a baby, giving it a bottle. The baby had beautiful olive skin, dark curly hair, and bright eyes that gleamed under the lamp light. Blaine had her wrapped up in a little pink blanket, and he was humming softly to her, a melody that Kurt didn't really recognize. Kurt couldn't see her face very well, but as he moved to get a better look, Blaine shifted her onto his shoulder and began to pat her back. Kurt tried to call out to Blaine, to ask him whose baby he had, but no words would come out, and Blaine didn't seem to know that he was there. All Kurt could do was watch as Blaine moved around their apartment, taking care of the mystery baby, making something stir deep within Kurt's chest that he didn't really recognize.

The bleeping of his alarm pulled Kurt out of his dream the next morning, and he felt funny as he went about his day. For some reason, he couldn't shake the dream from his head; it took over his conscious mind whenever he wasn't busy, and it was all he could do to stay focused.

This lasted for a few days, vivid dreams at night and unending, swirling thoughts throughout the day. It made Kurt exhausted, so when he showed up at the bar on Friday night with Rachel for their pre-weekend ritual that had begun during their NYADA days, it didn't take Rachel long to comment on it.

"Kurt, you look awful. Usually, I'd never say something like that, but I'm worried." She had to talk loudly to be heard over the table next to them. The three guys next to them were already drunk at seven o'clock on a Friday night, and they were singing carelessly to the already too loud music. One of them knocked over his beer, and Rachel wrinkled her nose at them.

"What did you say?" Kurt asked, pulling his chair closer to her before hopping back up onto the high stool. He leaned in closer to hear.

"I said you look awful and I'm worried."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Rachel. You look fabulous, too," he responded, taking a swig from his glass.

"No, really. Is something wrong? You look like you've hardly slept. Is everything okay with you and Blaine?"

"Yes, yes. Everything's fine. It's just this dream." One of the drunk guys from the next table jostled Kurt's chair as he tried to move between the two tables. Kurt turned a withering glare on him before looking back at Rachel.

"Dream?" she asked.

"Yeah. Blaine brought up the other day that he'd like to start a family, and every night since then, I've had a dream about Blaine taking care of this little baby girl. It seems so real, and I have a hard time not thinking about it during the day."

"You guys are already thinking about kids?" Rachel interrupted. "I thought you were looking to make your Broadway debut, and Blaine is still in college." She seemed skeptical.

"I know. You're right. This dream just keeps bothering me, you know? It seems so perfect."

"It is a dream. They usually seem perfect."

"I know. I've been thinking more about it; I'm kinda convincing myself that it could be a good idea to at least start trying."

Rachel raised her eyebrows at him, still skeptical, but she elected not to say anything else. It was too loud in there to do too much yelling.

"Anyway," Kurt said, drinking some more, "it's keeping me from getting a good night's sleep. I'm not even sure why I'm having the dream. I don't know if it's guilt or-"

"Guilt? What did you tell Blaine when he brought it up?"

"I told him I didn't think we were ready. We don't have enough money, and adoption takes a long time, even if we could come up with the funds for it."

"What about a surrogate?"

"We talked about that, too. But that takes time and can be expensive. Fertility treatments aren't cheap. Plus, just imagine all the time it takes to interview surrogates. I mean-"

"Kurt."

"-find the right personality, someone who doesn't have a bad gene pool. You don't want-"

"Kurt!"

"-cancer or other terrible diseases. And then you have to pay them, and I'm sure that's expensive. I mean, I don't know for sure, but if I were loaning my body out to someone, I'd want a lot of-"

"KURT!"

"What, Rachel?!"

"Do you remember your wedding night?"

"Do I remember my wedding night? Of course I remember my wedding night! What a silly thing to ask. That has nothing to do with this."

"Do you remember when I came over to talk to you and Blaine? Right before you guys left for the hotel?"

"Um, not really I guess. There was-"

"I offered to be your surrogate, Kurt. I told you that I would be your surrogate whenever you were ready."

"You did? Oh gosh! Rachel, I'm so sorry. I don't remember that at all. But, you don't have to do that. I mean, you and Jesse haven't been married that long. I wouldn't want to-"

"I'm still willing, Kurt, if you and Blaine want. I mean, I'd have to talk to Jesse about it, make sure that he was okay with it. It would also depend on if I get that lead I just auditioned for. But, I'd still like to, if not now then certainly in the future. I think you guys deserve to have kids that are part of you, and of course I'd love to help you out."

"Rachel, that's—oh my! Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. You two are my best friends. I'd do anything for you."

"Rachel, I—thank you! Thank you so much! Oh, you are just the best friend! Come here!" Kurt pulled Rachel into a hug, squeezing her a little too tight.

"You're welcome, you're welcome, but could you please let go?" Rachel asked, pushing at Kurt's waist just a little. "You're squishing me!"

"Oh! Sorry. Sorry! I'm just so excited!"

"Good! I'm glad I could help." Rachel beamed at him, taking in the brightness that had come over her friend's face. "Do you want to...?"

"Do you mind? I'd love to go tell Blaine now, but I know this is our thing, and I don't want to-"

"No. Go. It's fine. This is important. Go talk to Blaine."

"Thank you, Rachel! Really. I mean it. I'll call you later, okay?" Kurt asked, pulling her into another hug as he grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair. Pulling out of the hug, Kurt turned without another look, weaving in and out of the bodies dancing toward the back of the bar and pushing out into the cool evening air.

"Remember that I still have to talk to Jesse!" she shouted after him, but the music swallowed up her words.

Kurt had a hard time thinking past the blood that pounded in his ears, the excitement of his news filling his head, making his heart beat faster as he strode quickly down the street. Normally, he'd take a cab, but he had too much nervous energy; he needed to wear some off, and it was only a few blocks to his and Blaine's apartment building anyway. He could walk.

Kurt shivered a little as he bustled down the street toward home. He laughed at himself as he glanced down, noticing the jacket draped over his arm and shrugged into it as he kept up his pace. If his head was this spacey now, what would he be like when Rachel actually got pregnant?

He shook his head. No use putting the cart before the horse when he hadn't even had a chance to tell Blaine yet. After the way he'd reacted the other night, Blaine might not even want to try now. Kurt may have killed his chances. But he had to try anyway.

A hint of dread began to creep in on the edges of his excitement as he crossed the last street between himself and his apartment building. He nodded to the doorman as he headed inside, punching the number of their floor on the elevator. His toes began to tap as he rode the too-slow elevator up to their floor, though from excitement or nerves, he wasn't sure. He quickly pulled his keys from his pocket, shoving the correct one into the door and unlocking it in a hurry, desperate now to get this over with before he lost his excitement completely.

The front room was dark as he entered, but Kurt could see lamplight glowing from the bedroom at the end of the hall. He toed off his shoes and hung his coat on the hook by the door before making his way back in the direction of his husband.

"Kurt?" Blaine called from his spot on the bed where he'd been working on a budget, all his homework for his classes completed for the evening. "I didn't expect you home this early. You're usually out with Rachel longer. Is everything okay?" he asked as his husband came into the room. Blaine took in the stiff set of his shoulders and the wide-openness of his eyes, the expression in them reading too mixed for Blaine to understand. "Is everything okay?" he repeated as Kurt wordlessly came to sit on the bed next to him, gently taking the notebook and pencil from his hand and putting them on Blaine's night stand.

Kurt fixed his gaze on Blaine's large, beautiful eyes, sucking in a deep breath before speaking. "I want to apologize," he began, "for the way I reacted the other night when you brought up starting a family now. I was scared; I don't have everything together and figured out the way that you do. You seem so sure of the direction your life is going and you're always so ready for our next adventure together. Loving me is enough for you; you don't need anything else, and I think that's amazing. I admire that about you. But, I have to have a little more control than that, and thinking about starting a family with you, something that comes with that much responsibility is..." he paused, searching for the word, "is terrifying to me. But I'm sorry; I shouldn't have reacted like that."

Blaine reached out a tentative hand, catching Kurt's fingers in his and rubbing a gentle thumb across his knuckles. He wore an expression of confusion, but replied, "I forgive you, Kurt. I shouldn't have sprung it on you like that, though. I know that big changes can be scary for you, and I should have thought of that. I know you think that I have everything figured out, but I don't. Up until just a few days ago, I had no idea what direction I wanted to go with my major for my job. I just figured that out, and I'm still not sure it's very good. But-"

"What is it?" Kurt interrupted.

"I want to teach musical theater, but I want to teach musical theater with children."

"Oh, Blaine! That sounds perfect for you! A mixture of everything you love!"

"Kurt, have you tried looking for a musical theater job with children? There are performing arts schools all over this city, but there are also a ton of seasoned performers applying for those jobs. I don't really stand a chance against them. It may be a dead end."

"Then start your own. You can do anything; I believe in you!"

"Well, thank you for that, but I'm not sure I can do that."

"You can, but, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. I wanted to tell you that...that I've changed my mind. I want to try starting a family with you. Right now."

"But, Kurt, you said we weren't ready. That it's expensive, and I think you're pro-"

"I know what I said. But after that night, I kept having these dreams. Dreams about you, holding this gorgeous little girl, taking care of her. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I haven't slept very much, and I'm not being very productive at work. Rachel said I look like crap-"

"You're still beautiful to me," Blaine added, giving Kurt a smile and a squeeze to the hand he was still holding.

"Thank you, but all that changed my mind, all that dreaming and thinking. I do want this with you. Now. I don't want to wait either. If you're anything like dream you, and I know you will be, you'll be a fantastic father; I can't wait to watch you taking care of our baby."

Blaine's mouth opened and closed a few times as his wheels spun, trying to take in what his husband had just told him. "K—Kurt!" he stuttered. "This is fantastic! You have no idea how excited I am! But, what about the money? And adoption, that's expensive. Surrogacy can take a long time."

"Rachel."

"Rachel?"

"Rachel is going to be our surrogate."

"She's what now?"

"Rachel's going to be our surrogate. She volunteered."

"When? Tonight?"

"Actually, yes. Well, no. Yes and no. She actually told us she would on our wedding night, if you remember that. But she said it again tonight."

"She..." Blaine wasn't sure what to say. "That's...that's amazing!" he said lamely.

Kurt shook his head vigorously. "I know! Isn't it? I was so excited I left the bar early, rushed home to tell you about it!" Kurt decided to leave out the part about nearly becoming riddled with anxiety. Blaine had said yes, was as excited as he was, and he was _not_ going to spoil the moment with that type of announcement.

All of a sudden, Kurt had a lap full of Blaine, his strong arms wrapped around Kurt's torso as he hugged him tightly to him. Kurt thought he could hear a bit of a sniffle, so he pulled back, putting his hands on Blaine's upper arms as he looked into his eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked softly, reaching to swipe at a few tears rolling down Blaine's cheeks.

Blaine shook his head. "Nothing. I'm just so happy," he rasped, voice thick with emotion. "This is what I wanted; I've been daydreaming about it, Kurt. And I just can't believe that it's going to happen." Blaine hid his face in Kurt's shoulder again, hugging Kurt tightly as he sniffled a bit more.

Kurt rubbed his back. "I know. I've been daydreaming about it for the past few days. I don't know how you've survived it this long, but you can talk about it now. With me. Because I'm on board. One hundred percent."

Blaine lifted his head and kissed Kurt, deeply, his lips pressing hard into Kurt's as if he was afraid he'd lose him. "I love you so much. So much, Kurt."

"I love you, too, Blaine," Kurt murmured against his husband's lips, reclaiming them in a deep kiss that began to grow more and more passionate. "You're going to be an amazing father, and you're a wonderful husband. I love you so much. We're ready for this."

Blaine sat up, still in Kurt's lap, and smiled fondly at his husband. "We're ready for this," he echoed.

Seven months later, the boys sat on the edge of their seats on the couch. Blaine's right knee was bouncing up and down, and Kurt was biting at his nails, the fingers of his left hand drumming out a rhythm on the arm of the couch. They stared down the hallway toward their bedroom, neither one even blinking. They heard a rustling sound, and then watched intently as Rachel walked down the hallway toward them.

"Well?" Kurt called, his voice sounding acutely annoyed. "Don't keep us waiting! What did it say?"

Rachel took a few more steps down the hall, finally emerging into the light coming in from the living room window. Suddenly, she turned the small stick in her hand toward them, squealing, "I'm pregnant!"

"Give me that!" Kurt demanded, his voice rising in pitch as he snatched the test from her hands. "Look, Blaine! It says pregnant! We're going to be dads!" His tone was incredulous, and he just stared at the stick in his hand.

"We're going to be dads," Blaine breathed. Putting a hand on Kurt's wrist he repeated, "We're going to be dads!"

Kurt threw the stick to the floor and launched himself into Blaine's arms. The two of them hugged for several long moments, squealing, crying, and talking over one another all at once as they tried to process the news.

"Um, guys. I know this is a big deal for you, but I'm the one that's pregnant here," Rachel reminded them, standing next to the couch, arms crossed.

"Oh, you. Get over here," Kurt beckoned, pulling Rachel down onto the couch with them.

Both boys wrapped their arms around Rachel and the squealing commenced again as they all talked excitedly about what was to come. Finally, the group broke apart, and Blaine turned misty eyes toward Rachel. "Thank you. Thank you so much. This means so much to us, and we are so happy and grateful that you would do this for us."

Rachel beamed. "You guys are my best friends. I would do anything for you. I'm just so glad I can help you out. I can't wait to see if this is a Kurt or a Blaine baby!" she said, rubbing at her stomach affectionately.

"It doesn't matter whose genes it has," Blaine replied, pulling Kurt into his side and squeezing his husband against him. "Any baby we have will be a Kurt-n-Blaine baby."

Kurt grinned. "A Kurt-n-Blaine baby. Those are the best kind."


End file.
